SPARK: Student Program for Academic Research & Knowledge
SPARK (formerly EREA) offers lab experience and funding to first-year students.
Students majoring in either Human Communication Sciences (HCS) or Communication Studies (Comm Studies) are eligible to be included in SPARK, which offers a paid opportunity to work in labs and research groups.
All first-year HCS and Comm Studies majors are invited to apply. If selected, they will be paired with a faculty mentor. This partnership allows students to contribute to research projects during the regular school year. SPARK students gain hands-on experience in conducting research, data processing and analysis, or clinical experiences with patients.
SPARK students engage with their faculty mentors to understand how their contributions impact their broader fields of study. Students may even continue to work in the lab through the summer quarter as long as the mentor agrees.
Students will also enroll in CMN 110 Research Fundamentals in Communication (0 credit) to supplement the research experience and network with other awardees.
Please send your direct questions to soc-research@northwestern.edu.
Student Program for Academic Research & Knowledge (SPARK) FAQs
The application for the 2026-2027 academic year opens September 17th and is due October 5th.
SPARK Mentors and Projects for 2026-2027 will be posted soon.
To view a list of previous years’ EREA awardees, their mentors, and the labs they matched with, please visit the links below.
2025-2026 EREA Awardees, Mentors, and Labs